The National Healthcareer Association (NHA) certifies allied health workers such as phlebotomy technicians, EKG technicians, patient care technicians and billing and coding specialists. This page groups our free practice sets by topic, explains how NHA exams are delivered and scored, and works through sample questions so you can see where you stand before you register. We write the questions with AI tools. They are not taken from real exams. Practice with the free NHA - National Healthcareer Association practice test on PracticeTestGeeks (7 questions with answer explanations).

Free NHA - National Healthcareer Association Study Tools

Interactive NHA - National Healthcareer Association resources on PracticeTestGeeks, free to start:

• NHA Infection Control and Safety 1 — 7 questions with answer explanations
• NHA - National Healthcareer Association flashcards — review key terms and concepts card by card
• NHA - National Healthcareer Association study guide — topic-by-topic overview of what the exam covers
• NHA - National Healthcareer Association cheat sheet — one-page printable summary for last-minute review

NHA Exam at a Glance

Facts verified Oct 19, 2026 against National Healthcareer Association. Dates that have passed are removed automatically.

What the NHA is and how it works

According to National Healthcareer Association, “Scaled scores range from 200 to 500 and require that you meet a scaled passing score of 390 or higher to pass any examination covered in this Handbook.”^[3]

NHA exams lead to entry-level allied health credentials. Each certification has its own test plan, so start with the plan for your credential on the NHA website. The published test plans give an exam time of 3 hours for Billing and Coding Specialist (CBCS) and 2 hours each for EKG Technician (CET), Patient Care Technician/Assistant (CPCT/A) and Phlebotomy Technician (CPT). NHA has also published a revised CPCT/A test plan, and its exam time is also 2 hours.

Delivery. You can test at your school, at a PSI testing center near you, or through live remote proctoring.

Scoring. Scores are scaled from 200 to 500, and every exam covered by the candidate handbook needs a scaled score of 390 or higher to pass. For online exams, NHA posts certificate results to your account page within two days of scoring.

Eligibility. You need a high school diploma or the equivalent, plus either a training program or relevant work experience. The exact training or experience route can differ by certification. Whether your state or employer requires the credential is a separate question, so check that locally.

Retakes. Each retake means registering again and paying the full exam price. You must wait 30 days between attempts. After a third failed attempt, the wait becomes one year. Read the current NHA candidate handbook for the full rules before you book.

Worked examples: how to reason through NHA questions

These are practice questions written for this site, not questions from the real exam. Each explanation shows why the right answer is right and why the others are wrong.

Example 1

Question: A pharmacy stores hydrALAZINE and hydrOXYzine on separate shelves. This strategy is designed to prevent errors involving which type of medication?

1. High-alert medications
2. Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drugs
3. Controlled substances
4. Hazardous drugs

Answer: B. Look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drugs

Explanation:

Correct: B, look-alike/sound-alike (LASA) drugs. HydrALAZINE and hydrOXYzine have very similar names in print and when spoken aloud. Storing them apart, and writing them in tall man lettering, makes it harder to grab one when you meant the other.

• A is wrong. High-alert medications are drugs that cause serious harm when given in error, and safeguards for them include independent double checks. Neither drug here is defined by that risk.
• C is wrong. Controlled substances are managed through secure storage and inventory counts, not separate shelving based on name similarity.
• D is wrong. Hazardous drugs are separated to protect staff from exposure, not to prevent name mix-ups.

Rule to remember: mixed capital letters within a drug name, together with separate storage, point to a LASA safeguard.

Example 2

Question: What is the primary purpose of performing an EKG?

1. To assess lung function
2. To check for diabetes
3. To measure blood pressure
4. To evaluate heart rhythm and electrical activity

Answer: D. To evaluate heart rhythm and electrical activity

Explanation:

Correct: D, to evaluate heart rhythm and electrical activity. An EKG records the electrical signals that drive each heartbeat. That record shows rate, rhythm and conduction patterns, which helps detect arrhythmias and signs of heart muscle injury.

• A is wrong. Lung function is measured with tests such as spirometry, not an EKG.
• B is wrong. Diabetes is checked with blood tests that measure glucose. An EKG measures no blood values.
• C is wrong. Blood pressure is measured with a cuff and sphygmomanometer or an automated monitor. An EKG tracing does not show pressure.

Rule to remember: an EKG measures electricity, not pressure, chemistry or airflow. If an answer choice describes something other than the heart's electrical activity, it is not what an EKG is for.

Example 3

Question: When should gloves be changed during care of a single patient?

1. Only when gloves become visibly torn or soiled with blood
2. Every 30 minutes regardless of activity
3. When moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site on the same patient
4. Only between different patients

Answer: C. When moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site on the same patient

Explanation:

Correct: C, when moving from a contaminated body site to a clean body site on the same patient. Gloves pick up microorganisms from whatever they touch. Going from a wound or perineal area to a clean site, such as an IV site or the face, can carry those organisms to a new part of the same patient's body. Remove the gloves, perform hand hygiene and put on a fresh pair.

• A is wrong because of the word "only." Torn or soiled gloves must be changed, but clean-looking gloves can still be contaminated.
• B is wrong. Glove changes depend on the task and the body site, not on a fixed clock interval such as every 30 minutes.
• D is wrong because of the word "only." Changing gloves between patients is required, but it is not the only time.

Rule to remember: work from clean to dirty, and change gloves before going from dirty back to clean.

How to use these practice tests

Start by downloading the official test plan for your credential from the NHA website, then pick the practice sets that match it.

• Phlebotomy (CPT): order of draw, specimen handling and infection control.
• EKG (CET): EKG procedures and patient care.
• Billing and coding (CBCS): coding systems, revenue cycle and claims, healthcare law and medical terminology.
• Pharmacy topics: dispensing and compounding, pharmacy law and pharmacology.

Do each set once without a timer and read every explanation, including the ones for questions you got right. Write each rule in one line in a notebook. Redo your missed questions a few days later. Once your notes cover every area in the test plan, sit one long timed session at the length of your real exam (2 hours or 3 hours, depending on the credential). In the final week, re-read the candidate handbook, confirm your delivery option, and check the ID and room rules if you are testing by remote proctoring.